A Fearful Reality
by crazylazyandfanficsmaybe
Summary: AU of future Enchanted Forest. Regina and Robin Hood's daughter, Daniella, has an all too real nightmare. It's not allegory. I swear.


Daniella felt and heard the clack of her leather heels on stone, but this stone was different, it was so flat and smooth. She didn't remember how she got there, or what she was doing before, but here she was. She found herself looking up and around at small stores with painted letters and bright lights that reflected in wide windows. Then she realized it was Storybrooke. She was born there, always heard stories about it and lived in it until she was two before everyone returned to the Enchanted Forest.

"Why am I here?" She said aloud.

There wasn't anyone on the streets. Looking around, she could hear some clamoring and laughing nearby. Walking further, feeling very out of place with her dark hair in an elaborate bun and purple dress of frills. She saw it, some place she had been often before. "Granny's" greeted her with a bright light and familiar faces.

She sighed in relief. "At least I'm not alone."

She walked slowly forward, questions buzzing in her mind. Then suddenly, someone bolted out of the diner and ran right past her. Turning to watch them, Daniella saw it was a woman. She was pale, with black hair cut above the shoulders and wearing dark clothes.

"Mom?" She spoke.

The woman ignored her and walked across the street.

"Mom!" She shouted.

She felt fear churn in her stomach. Did she forget? Running towards her she grabbed her hand.

"Mom! It's me!"

Regina quickly spun around and pulled her hand away. Daniella felt her eyes open in shock. Her mother was crying. She never cried, she told her sorrow was a sign of weakness.

"Go away, you're mistaken." She spoke in a trembling voice.

"No-" She stopped herself. "Regina, my name is Daniella. I'm your daughter!"

She answered her with a scowl and sharpened eyes. "I don't know who you are or who you think I am, but surely you are some delusional fool."

Daniella felt tears start to pool in her eyes. She fought back a sob as she opened her mouth to speak.

"Mom, please. I'm your and Robin Hood's daughter!"

"That's impossible!" She snapped with a roar. "Villains don't get happy endings!"

She turned to walk away again. But Daniella grabbed her arm with both hands and pulled back. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she felt her throat whine. How could it be true?

"Mom! I'm you're happy ending! Please listen!"

Regina turned to look at her once more, before fading away in a puff of smoke. Daniella looked at the purple smoke rise from her her finders, then fell to her knees.

"Mom..." She cried quietly.

"Regina! Regina! I'm sorry!"

Looking behind her, Daniella saw none other than her father. Without another thought, she stood up and hugged him.

"Dad, mom doesn't remember! She doesn't remember me!" She shouted, burying her face into his shoulder.

He simply looked shocked, but didn't resist.

"'Mom?', 'dad'? Who is she talking about?"

Daniella let go of her father to see a woman. Tall, thin, brown hair, brown eyes. Daniella recognized her from a wanted poster her father kept.

"Marian?" She spoke.

Her sorrow caught fire and transformed into anger. Her eyes widened, fists turned white and her jaw grinded. With bared teeth, she pointed to her.

"You! You're supposed to be dead! Why aren't you dead?!" Daniella growled. "You're dead! Get away from here!"

Daniella rose her hand and a ball of fire sparked in it. Robin grabbed her wrist and twisted it. Hard. She whimpered in pain as the fire faded and she stepped back. Staring and rubbing her wrist, she saw it was already swelling. Gasping, she looked up at her father.

"Daddy... Why?"

"Papa? What's going on? Who's that?"

It was little Roland. Daniella saw him in pictures and paintings. But it wasn't her Roland, her adult, half-brother. Daniella bit her lip.

"Ro... Is this your mom?" Daniella asked, looking at Marian.

Roland looked puzzled, and stared at Daniella blankly, like she was a stranger. "Yes."

Daniella looked down, which caused her tears to cloud her vision, and gave a deep sob. "No... No... This isn't happening... Please this can't happen..."

"Robin!" A familiar voice called.

Daniella knew who it was, so she didn't look up. Out of the corner of her cloudy eyes she saw Belle, dressed all in white, run before Robin Hood while her father Maurice followed.

"Regina's gone mad! She set the forest on fire!" She exclaimed.

"Where's Gold and Archie?" He asked.

"Rumple's putting out the fire, Jiminy's trying to calm her down!"

Daniella ran next to Robin. "Let me come with you, I can help."

"We're going to need all the help we can get." He turned to Marian and Roland.

"I can get us there quicker." Daniella grabbed Robin's hand.

Closing her eyes, she focused her magic next to Rumpelstiltskin's magic signature. In a white puff of smoke, she appeared beside him. His head jerked towards them in surprise as he sprayed water at a burning bush.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Water now! Talk later!"

Robin ran ahead and around the flames, much to Daniella's surprise. But she forgot about it, faced the well, held out her hands and a stream of water rose up. She spun around and shot it at the tree tops.

"Where did you come from?"

"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me!"

Scanning the trees rapidly, Daniella finally rested her gaze on a familiar figure. Listening closely, she could hear Jiminy and her father.

"Regina, I'm sorry, but it just can't be!"

"Shut up!"

Another blast of fire came their way. Rumple stopped it in midair and squeezed his fist. The fire choked out and faded.

"Regina, think clearly!" Jiminy yelled.

Daniella looked at Rumple. "Hang on, I'm going in!"

Slashing her arms back and forth, a path cleared through the fire. It was hot, Daniella felt the heat sear through her skin. The smoke made her cough, stung her eyes and nearly blinded her, but she still saw her mom. Regina threw another ball of fire at a dried tree. It cackled and hissed before falling, feeding the surrounding flames.

"Regina! You're a good person, don't do this!" Jiminy shouted from afar.

She turned to him and shot him a glare. Daniella stepped back in fear. Her mother's eyes smoldered more intensely than the fire around her. She cupped her hands together and a blue flame grew. With a flick of the wrist faster than Daniella could see, the blue bolt of fire took off. As Daniella turned, she felt her jaw unhinge as Jiminy disintegrated before her eyes.

"Jiminy!" She cried out.

Suddenly, her father dove out of the bushes, cross bow drawn and cocked. Daniella felt her heart stop.

"Daddy! Daddy no!"

Daniella reached out, casting a force push to stop the arrow. As the arrow launched with the sound of a vibrating whip, it passed over it.

That's when everything stopped. The heat became cold, the fire dark, the noise silence. The arrow spun and flew right into her mother's chest.

"MOMMY!"

"Dani! Dani! Wake up!"

Daniella felt her silk pillow case stick to her cheek. Her eyes opened to familiar, but darkened surroundings. An ember filled stone fireplace, purple curtains, curved iron windows. Her room.

"Dani, are you okay? You were screaming."

Daniella looked to her side to see a young man with a square jaw, brown hair and round brown eyes.

"Ro?" She jumped up to hug him. "Roland!"

Daniella squeezed his torso as hard as possible. Her gasped, then inhaled deeply. Daniella heard clacking heels once more. Looking over her brother's shoulder, she saw her mother. Black nightgown, silk slippers, wide eyes, and open lips. She walked quickly beside them, and sat next to Daniella on the bed.

"Daniella, what happened?"

Daniella let go of her brother and clung to her mother. She didn't pull away this time and let her cry into her neck. Regina herself was confused, she never thought she would have to do this with her fifteen year-old daughter. Her father ran in a few seconds later, just as worried and confused. As soon as Daniella looked at him with tear filled eyes, he practically collapsed next to her to hold her.

"Mommy... Daddy..." She cried, hugging them together. "Promise me you'll never be apart... Promise me..." Her voice turned into the whimper of a small child.

"Oh Daniella..." Robin kissed her forehead. "It must have been an awful nightmare."

"It felt so real... It was too real..." She mumbled, wiping her eyes. "There was fire... There was pain... Oh gods, don't hurt mommy, daddy..."

"I would never hurt your mom." He let Daniella lean into his chest as he pulled Regina close. "Never."

She felt her tears dry and moaning cease. Her mother caressed her hand and her father patted her back. Roland just simply watched them, unsure what to do. Daniella slowly withdrew from her father's embrace and mother's hug and found herself sitting up and just sniffling. Roland took this chance to pat his sister's hand.

"Everything's fine, sis." Roland spoke. "You'll be fine."

"I will be." She dried her tears with her sleeve. "I will be. I think I'll go back to sleep, I need it. Isn't it Neal's seventeenth birthday in the morning?"

"Oh yeah, it is." Roland spoke, rolling his shoulders.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Great, that means Oriane's sixteenth is just three weeks off."

"We need to figure out what to get her." Robin spoke. "What does she have already?"

"Honestly, Robin, I can't think of a thing that Rumple hasn't given his daughter." Regina looked at Daniella. "You'll be fine?"

She nodded.

"Are you sure?" Robin eyed her.

Daniella let out a small laugh. "Yes dad. Thank you both."

He kissed her forehead again and Regina gave her one last hug before they got up and walked off.

"Horse?"

"She can teleport."

"Jewelry?"

"She can spin gold."

"Glass slippers?"

"She has gold, silver and diamond slippers."

He sighed. "So, just another custom made dress?"

"I can enchant it to make it a mood dress."

Roland looked back at his sister. "What was your dream about?"

Daniella rolled in her lips and played with her fingers. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Dani..." He put his hand on her shoulder. "Whatever it was, don't worry. Mom and dad love each other, nothing could keep them apart."

"Ok."

He got up, smiled and walked out the door, shutting it carefully behind him.

"'Mom and dad love each other, nothing could keep them apart...'" She told herself.


End file.
